Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
City of Phoenix Files Lawsuit Against State of Arizona for Violation of Constitution
Link to tweet
https://www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/law/2029
The city of Phoenix is suing the state of Arizona, claiming the State Legislature illegally folded dozens of provisions into a state budget bill, a violation of the State's constitution.
The suit filed Tuesday in Superior Court focuses on the “single subject rule." The Arizona Constitution lays out a transparent process where bills must mean what they say. Budget bills have to be about the budget and substantive, general legislation has to be about one subject at a time. This ensures that proposed laws are debated and voted on only with other provisions that relate to them—rather than buried among countless other provisions.
“The city of Phoenix is filing this lawsuit to ensure the State Legislature follows our Arizona Constitution. This year's budget illegally limits cities' abilities to serve our communities and undermines the legislative process," said Mayor Kate Gallego.
According to the lawsuit, the Legislature violated the Constitution's requirements when it passed HB2893. This so called “budget reconciliation" bill included substantive legislative provisions that have nothing to do with spending or with each other. The bill in question is supposed to be about reconciliation of the “Criminal Justice" provisions of the budget. But it covers a hodgepodge of topics impacting at least 10 different state agencies and addresses diverse topics from an emergency “readiness center" to disputes on water rights.
*snip*